Something tells me the Bears just spent a lot of money.

Update: Hester gets $15 million guaranteed, $30 million total, with up to $10 million in bonuses depending upon whether Hester becomes a #1 receiver.

The gut instinct nailed that one.

What determines "number 1" receiver? Is it catches or yards? Or what if he becomes a productive number 2 receiver but he still leads the team in touchdowns because of his special team's play?

#What determines “number 1″ receiver? Is it catches or yards? Or what if he becomes a productive number 2 receiver but he still leads the team in touchdowns because of his special team’s play?

I'm sure it is all detained in the language of the contract. I don't believe there is any one set way to determine who is the number one receiver. I imagine a particular metric is specified in the language of the contract, and that is what they will use to determine things.

I'm pretty sure they wouldn't use any statistic like total touchdowns, though, because they would not want to let Hester's special teams value -- which he is already getting a ton of money for -- boost his value even more as a receiver. I'm sure it's either going to be catches, yards, or maybe passes thrown his way.

Given the quality of Chicago's other wide receivers, that $10M bonus should be fairly easy to obtain.

Given the length of the extension, determining Hester's viability as a #1 receiver shouldn't be too hard. Last year, 18 receivers in the NFL gained more than 1100 yards. Something as simple as the full bonus if Hester gains 1100 yards receiving twice, scaled for lower benchmarks, would probably suffice.

It looks like Roscoe Parrish got about $4M/year on his extension last year, so Hester making slightly more than that plus incentives probably isn't a terrible deal if he ends up failing as a receiver. If he develops into a #1, though, what's the earliest he holds out again? 2011?

is that 10 million in bonuses in addition to the 30 million, making it potentially worth 40 million, or is the deal for 20 million with up to 10 million in bonuses which totals a hypothetical 30 million?

#6

If he does meet the incentives then he would get $30m over four years which isn't too bad for a guy getting a new deal with two years left on his rookie contract.

I doubt he will see it like that if he has turned into a Pro Bowler in the meantime, however unlikely people think that may be. I would say though that the kind of player Hester is would be more likely to attract idiot fan votes as people will already of heard of him and folks like exiting plays.

The Bears just paid quarterback money to a return specialist who wasn't good enough to play on scrimmage plays in college. I hope for they're sake they're right, but I hope for the sake of all my neighbors and co-workers they're really, really wrong.

Considering the uncertain nature of how the NFL will look after the next labor contract is resolved this is an interesting move by both parties.

Looks like a good deal for both sides--Hester's 2 day holdout got him what he wants, and the Bears got what they want--4 more years of Hester, PLUS some protection should Hester not turn out to be a good to great WR. If I understand the contract details right, those bonuses are tiered to where if he turns into a #2 WR, he gets some, but not all, of the money. I think ESPN said to get it all he has to make 3 Pro Bowls (at WR, I assume) and IMO the benchmark is yards--rec. TD's are too volatile, and if they use him like they did last year, he could easily rack up a bunch of 5-10 yd WR screens--a la Reggie Bush. However, if he gets 900 receiving yds, the Bears would prob. be EXTREMELY satisfied with his WR production. (Let's face it--wouldn't that lead the Bears by a large margin?)

9: "Bears QB" money, maybe. It's a 4 year extension which makes it a 6 year contract. ESPN is reporting the bonus de-escalates, which means it's counted in the $30M total, so even if the Bears decide to keep #1 receiver Hester and his potential $12M cap number for the last year of his contract without restructuring, that's still only $5M/year. A lot for a kick returner who may not be able to catch, but a far cry from QB money (Garrard, Romo and Bulger each signed extensions worth $10-11M/year in the last 12 months).

But there's no way Hester goes into the last year of this contract if he's earned the $10M, so this is really just a 5 year, $20M extension, which is Roscoe Parrish money. Which still seems like a lot for a kick returner, but with all the money the Bears save on QBs, why not?

I would guess then that Hester made the right decision to hold out and force the issue.

Has anyone ever made the Pro Bowl at two different positions in the same year?

Hmm, I thought I heard something that said $30M + $10M more if he ends up being a quality #1 WR, which is more of a average or above starting QB salary. Even with a lower per-year cost, $15M is an awful lot of base salary for a player like Hester.

Frankly, I think the Bears are getting a steal.

IMO, not enough people are taking this into account; can we anticipate Hester continuing his peerless nature on returns while also contributing as a WR? It seems (and granted, I don't have any data to back this up) that returners do their best work when they are purely returners.

Re #17
It's been mentioned in a previous thread or two-Derrick Mason of the Titans was one of the few players who did it reasonably successfully for a while, most notably in 2000.

Mason is also a good example of a guy who made the Pro Bowl as a returner in part because he was also a very good WR in 2000-if a player plays as a Pro Bowl level as both a returner and his scrimmage position, he'll probably be elected as a returner unless there's been a dominant returner.

#16 Agreed. If his KRs and PRs total 5 TDs a season--not out of his range, plus all the other ancillary benefits such as long rtns without a TD and opponents kicking short and away from him just to prevent a "sure" TD, that's the rough equivalent of a LB who returns 5 fumbles or a CB who returns 5 INTs for TDs plus plays well on the other plays too. How much would you pay for that?

Oh, he'll be a serviceable--not great--WR as well? Where do I sign his check?

As a Colt fan I am trained to minimize ST contributions, but he can be a game-changer even without touching the ball. Teams do weird shit to keep him from beating them. How much more would you pay for those potential 5 TDs? A RB who scores 8 TDs versus one who scores 13? A QB who passes for 25 TDs vs one who passes for 30?

#14 - I would have guessed Sammy Baugh did, but I think he mostly predated the pro bowl. He was all-pro nine times, but don't know if his play as a DB or Punter garnered any of his selections.

re:17
I'm with you. I remember Dante Hall's production as a return man falling off when he logged more offensive snaps.

Andre Davis was a pretty effective #2/3 receiver last season, and an excellent kick returner. Steve Smith was an 1100+ yard receiver and a quality punt return man in both 2003 and 2005. It can be done.

But those guys were WRs first and return men second.

Hester was not servicable as a WR in the ACC, and now people think that he'll be replacement level at WR in the NFL?

Very few returners have kept up their performance for an extended period of time (at least according to my memory), but then again, Hester may be different. Who knows?

The problem for the Bears is that they NEED him on their team, unless one of their "quarterbacks" shows a lot of improvement and Forte proves that he's the man.

I really don't see Hester doing much more than the occasional swing pass, screen pass etc.

If memory is correct though, he burned a Giants DB but didn't catch the pass last year.

He could be running screens and streaks and not really develop into a WR.

7 fumbles?! They over payed!

Anybody actually think if he turns into a productive wideout that the bears will still have him returning kicks? I mean teams will rarely trot out their no1 reveiver for special teams for fear of an injury - what way will that work if his contribution at WR outstrips that on special teams. Or maybe theres less risk with him on special teams because half the time teams are kicking away from him?